


new soul living in a strange world

by mintpearlvoice



Category: The Locked Tomb Trilogy | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir
Genre: F/F, Gen, Kid Fic, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25024363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintpearlvoice/pseuds/mintpearlvoice
Summary: When Harrow is a baby, Gideon is too young to realize that she should hate the Ninth's heir.That being said: Harrow is a remarkably ugly baby.
Relationships: Gideon Nav & Harrowhark Nonagesimus
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	new soul living in a strange world

Gideon is nearly three and, like everyone else, she’s invited to the baptismal ceremony of the Heir to the Ninth. Prayers have been said. Now everyone passes in front of the cradle, sculpted from bones and mother of pearl, to pay their respects.

The heir to the ninth is the ugliest baby that Gideon has ever remembered seeing. she looks like a little beige larva. A little pale grub. something that feeds only on dead things and never gets full. But of course she’s already in enough trouble for just existing without being honest. She makes her face look suitably serious and stares down at the baby as if she’s thinking loyal thoughts.

Harrow wakes up.

Somehow in that moment she doesn’t look totally ugly and malnourished and unsettling. There’s something like a gleam of intelligence in her dark eyes. Something almost human in the way she shows off her first teeth. She’s just a skinny, pointy baby who’s too little to even lift her own head up yet.

“We are the only two kids on the whole Ninth,” Gideon whispers. Because that feels more important than a vow of loyalty.“You better get interesting soon.”

Which is when Harrow smiles.

And it’s not like smiling makes her pretty or anything.Somehow in that moment she doesn’t look totally ugly and malnourished and unsettling. There’s something like a gleam of intelligence in her dark eyes. Something almost human in the way she shows off her first teeth. She’s just a skinny, pointy baby who’s too little to even lift her own head up yet.

It’s just-

Gideon can’t even remember anyone smiling at her like that before. As if she’s never done anything wrong and there’s nothing to grieve about.

Then a bone nun elbows her in the shoulders and tells her to move along.

But for days afterwards, Gideon tells anyone who will listen- anyone in earshot, really- of how the baby Harrow smiled at her. Not her mum and dad, not Ortus, who looked very silly swearing an oath to a baby. At her and only her, Gideon Nav. Ortus calls her a plebian parasite. Crux tells her stories about how little girls who tell lies come to bad ends. It makes no difference.

Later she will consider caring about Harrow another cringeworthy childhood phase, like mixing her face paint to make grey and then arguing that she’s technically still wearing it and getting grey streaks on everything she touches, on purpose. Or taking astrology seriously. Or wanting long, curly hair.

But at three, that’s not what matters. What matters is not being alone anymore, and knowing she’ll never have to be alone ever again.


End file.
